Zeno's on the Square
Zeno's on the Square opened in June of 2018 to acclaim and has a loyal customer following. They strive to make every customer feel like family. Featured L to R: Zeno Russo, Manager; Monica Russo, Owner and Mike Waltrip, Owner.
Monica Russo and Mike Waltrip may have many differences from a cultural and life experience standpoint, but their love of high-quality food and wines brought them together to open Zeno’s on the Square, an upscale, authentic Italian restaurant located on the historic square in downtown Weatherford.
Waltrip, a Fort Worth native and oil and gas executive, met Russo at her namesake restaurant Mamma Monica’s in 2016. His family ranch was located nearby the quaint, hole-in-the-wall, authentic Italian eatery located south of Weatherford on Tin Top Road. He and his wife Letty became regular customers along with many people from the cutting horse industry.
Russo, a successful entrepreneur from Northern Italy whose business ventures included running a bed-and-breakfast and serving as publisher of a western horse magazine, left her native country in 2015 to follow her only child, Davide, to Texas. As a young boy, Davide had travelled to Fort Worth with his mother to the NCHA Futurity competition. He immediately fell in love with cutting and knew what he wanted to do with his life. With the help of cutting horse legend Lindy Burch and others, he is now a trainer at the Anderson Cattle Company in Weatherford.
Russo began planning her concept for her second restaurant after the successful launch of Mamma Monica’s. She had a degree in architecture from the University of Milan and visualized exactly what she wanted. She approached Waltrip about a business partnership, and he agreed.
“I was attracted to the Russo siblings because they are really good people with high values and an unbelievable work ethic,” Waltrip says. “That, along with a great knowledge of Italian food and wine was very attractive to become a partner.”
Knowing she had a solid business relationship secured, she and her brother Zeno Russo drove all around Parker County looking for the perfect location. They found it at a newly constructed building at 102 Houston Ave. on the historic square downtown.
After signing the lease, Russo went back to Italy to choose furniture and silverware that she wanted for the new restaurant. She also needed to find an executive chef who’d be willing to make the move to Texas. During her travels, she ate at a charming restaurant in Pisa, headed up by Executive Chef Massmiliano “Max” Zubboli.
She loved his cooking and personality. They immediately hit it off. Max was a graduate of one of the most prestigious culinary schools in Italy. He and his wife, Anto, who he met in culinary school, were looking for a new adventure. The timing was perfect.
The restaurant was opened in June of 2018 to acclaim and has a loyal customer following. Chef Max and Zeno Russo strive to make every customer feel like family.
In 2019, Chef Max was a finalist in Fort Worth Magazine’s Top Chef competition.
Visit zenosonthesquare.com for more info.
